The Patchwork Quilt

In 1935 Mary Jane Parsons relayed her life story to her daughter-in-law Myrtle  Parsons, piecing her legacy of memories, hardships and beliefs into The  Patchwork Quilt. Mary’s voice is strikingly present. She speaks directly to the  reader, expressing a fierce individualism, love for her family and long life without  regret. From her youth to her old age Mary made quilts. First a tradition passed  down from her mother, then as necessity to safeguard the future, and finally a  beloved pastime to keep aging hands in motion. Each chapter is named for a  traditional quilt pattern relating thematically to the events of Mary’s life.  

This artist book was set into motion when Kelsey Voy happened to find Mary’s  memoir in the Iowa Women’s Archive at the University of Iowa. Six poems  assembled by Kelsey from Mary’s memoir are accompanied by a pulp painted  quilt pattern. To achieve a textile quality, the sheets are formed from a mixture of  cotton and Iowa-grown kozo, and dampened and wrinkled after printing.  All type is hand set Bulmer and Lydian and printed on a Vandercook SP-15 press.  The central page spread features stitching inspired by a scalloped edge quilt,  printed from a photo polymer plate. The book is bound in a Victorian-style  album and sewn with paper thread in an edition of 20.

Inquire at kelseyvoystudio@gmail.com for purchasing information.